Note: This is Day 10 in the “Recharge Your Creative Batteries in 31 Days” Challenge. For the rest of July, we’ll be posting different ways for you to get yourself on the path to living in a creative flow and reaching your writing goals. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any.
Think about the last meal you ate … how long after you finished eating were you hungry again?
My guess would be not long after.
And that’s likely because you’re not building the right elements into your meals.
The Right Elements
The problem isn’t that you didn’t eat enough, it’s that you didn’t eat the right things.
If you want to ward off hunger and be able to get through a writing session with having to constantly snack, you need to get more of two things into your diet:
- Fiber
- Protein
And I’m not talking about eating a bunch of those shitty “Fiber One” bars that pretend to be food. I’m talking about a balanced diet that includes protein and fiber at every meal and snack.
Eating protein and fiber will keep your energy levels high and stable throughout the day.
Where To Find Protein and Fiber
You can find protein in a wide range of foods straight from nature, including:
- Meat—if you’re not a vegetarian/vegan, meat is a great source of protein, but it shouldn’t be your main source. There is way too much meat in the average American’s diet, and conventional meat is one of the biggest problems with the American food system (don’t even get me started!). I’m not saying meat is bad, I’m just saying it’s nice to eat meatless meals at least a few times a week for balance purposes.
- Seafood—fish, shellfish and other types of seafood have protein. Look for wild-caught, not farm-raised.
- Eggs—when eaten in moderation, eggs are a good source of protein. Just be sure to eat the yolk too, that’s where the protein is.
- Beans—although they might make you think back to that lovely grade school rhyme (‘beans, beans, the magical fruit…”), beans are a fantastic source of protein and they’re a double-whammy because they’re also an excellent source of fiber. They come in a huge variety so you can definitely find some that you enjoy.
- Peas—lentils and chickpeas are another way to get protein and fiber into your diet.
- Nuts—nuts get a bad rep for being “too high in fat.” They are high in fat, but it’s the good fat that your body needs. Plus nuts make great snacks because they have so much protein. Nut butters, like peanut butter, also count.
- Seeds—pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds all have protein.
- Dairy—although I don’t recommend eating too much dairy, if you’re not allergic to it, it can definitely be one of your protein sources. A few cubes of cheese or a cup of Greek yogurt is a protein-packed snack that will energize your writing session.
- Whole Grains—grains like quinoa and brown rice are packed with protein to help ward off hunger.
- Soy—edamame (soy bean pods) and tofu are good proteins every now and then, but don’t use them as a main source. Also, look for soy beans/tofu that’s marked “non-GMO,” which means it doesn’t come from genetically modified soy beans.
As for fiber, you can find that in:
- Fruits—even though fruit has sugar, it’s natural sugar, and fruit contains so much other good-for-you stuff like vitamins and minerals, that it’s perfectly OK to eat it a few times a day.
- Vegetables—fiber, fiber, fiber, any and all. Plus vitamins, minerals and nutrients too.
- Whole Grains—wheat, yes, but also buckwheat, millet, quinoa, brown rice, etc.
- Beans, Peas—as mentioned above, beans and peas are an excellent source of fiber.
- Nuts—these also contain fiber, which is another great reason to eat them.
There you have it. A whole list of ways to get fiber and protein into every meal and snack you consume.
Food is there to nourish your body, to give you energy and mental clarity, so you have the strength to make it through your day. Use it to your advantage.
Meals don’t have to be complicated to include the vital elements you need. Just keep this equation in mind when preparing your meals: Fiber + Protein = Energy
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I agree with everything but the grains! If I was forced to choose between my children eating grains every day or smoking cigarettes everyday, I’d choose the cigarettes! (Note to DFACS: I don’t make my children smoke cigarettes.)
And on the meats – “normal” meat is so gross I can’t even believe it. It’s more expensive, but we eat exclusively grass-fed, organic, hormone and antibiotic free beef and wild-caught fish. None of that pink slime shit.
Us too! In our house it’s organic, grass-fed meat only. But why the aversion to grains?
Because they are poison. Literally, they evolved defense mechanisms to wreck shop in the guts of animals that ate them. Check this out for an overview.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/
There’s much more to it and is posted in that article, but it’s probably a good place to start.
I don’t know if I believe that. I believe that some people thrive with grains in their diet while other people have issues. I don’t believe that Paleo is right for everyone. It’s about bioindividuality–discovering which foods work for you and which don’t. I don’t support jumping on a fad diet band wagon. But that’s just me!
The problems caused by grains have been thoroughly researched and well documented in scientific literature. Just because someone doesn’t have acute symptoms to grains doesn’t mean they are immune from the negative effects.
If not eating grains is a fad, then not smoking is a fad, as the science supporting my position on grains is at least as deep as the science supporting the health consequences of smoking.
I’m also very knowledgable about bioindividuality, as it relates to biochemical processes and intestinal microbiota, but that doesn’t change the science. It does mean that the problems caused by grains will vary from person to person, just like the problems caused by cigarettes vary from person to person.
There are plenty of super old people who have smoked their whole life, but I don’t think that’s a justifiable reason to support smoking.
Also, there was no jumping on a bandwagon for me. My 3 year old was diagnosed with celiac and that threw me into medical literature, which lead me to the discoveries that I mentioned above. I didn’t even know there was a name for the way me and my family ate until last Thanksgiving when someone said “you can’t just jump on the Paleo bandwagon and say all grains are bad!” haha
Okay, All that being said – the gluten free grains are definitely LESS bad than the rest and if you really do feel fine eating them, It’s not that big of a deal.
Goal is to feel good and be happy about it, right?
I think maybe “grain” is too generic a term. It sounds like you’re mostly referring to wheat or wheat-based grains. In that matter I would totally agree. I think wheat is harmful to the body and should be eaten in very limited quantities if not eliminated completely. The gluten-free grains I think are fine if you can eat them and feel good.
I would say the fewer grains the better. We are grain-free in my house, but you’re right that it’s the glutened grains that are definitely the worst.
Also I am gluten-free but still enjoy grains like brown rice, quinoa and millet.
Great post, Jennifer, one I can relate to completely
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
“It’s about bioindividuality–discovering which foods work for you and which don’t.”
I totally agree! I have a good friend who eats a very strict ketogenic diet…almost all meat, eggs and fats…and she is in good health and feels great (when she’s able to stick to it, that is!). But I’ve tried a diet similar to that (the old school Atkins diet back in the day) and felt absolutely awful. I’m no vegetarian, but eating a lot of meat just doesn’t appeal to me. So, I think that just like no two fingerprints are the same, there is no one optimal diet for everyone.
Exactly. That’s why it’s important to try different foods and different diets until you find what works for you. Don’t do something just because your friend says it works for her. It’s about what works for you not your friend. No two bodies are alike.
The ketogenic diet is a bit extreme, and most people should expect 3-4 pretty uncomfortable weeks before their body really adjusts.
If we can’t say that there is no one diet that is optimal for everyone, would you agree that there are things that should be eliminated from everyone’s diet?
Yea we can agree there are some things that shouldn’t be in anyone’s diet. Processed, fake ingredients, genetically modified stuff, unhealthy oils…
I have to agree with Graham. I’m currently reading The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf and waiting for me is It Starts with Good, by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. I’m gluten intolerant, but not celiac. I’ve been gluten free for years and just recently gave up dairy and the night shades. I’m feeling better, but not quite where I want to be. I’d been hearing about Paleo and decided to take a look. After read 3/4 of the Wolf book, I’m totally convinced. He explains the science behind why our bodies were not designed to utilize grains as a fuel. I’ve been making gluten free bread with flours that include sorghum and garfava (bean flour). I can’t eat rice or corn, along with gluten. Anyway, I discovered that the bean flour and sorghum are almost as bad as the gluten grains. I’ll finish eating my last loaf of bread this week. I’m going to use up a few things around the kitchen and then go Paleo all the way. My husband even said he’d join me. I buy organic all the time. I’m close to Paleo. It won’t be much of a change for me. For my husband it will be a big change, but he needs to lose weight. He may not stick to the diet. But I will.
Barb
I guess the main issues I have with the Paleo diet is the fact that it’s heavily meat-based and also the fact that people in the Paleolithic era didn’t live very long. But once again, it’s about what woks for you/your body. When I’m eating a lot of meat I feel like crap. For me, a mostly vegetarian diet feels better. I do eat meat, just not a whole lot of it.
I intend to eat a lot of fish, shellfish, eggs, and chicken, along with some of the beef, pork, and lamb that I love. But, the portions are what I consider normal. A palm-size portion of protein. Then you fill the rest of your plate with an assortment of colorful vegetables, and maybe a little fruit. It’s not an Atkins type mostly meat diet. Not at all! Just skip the grains, beans, and dairy that our bodies have trouble digesting and substitute a little protein and lots of veggies. I’m going to give it a try. I have skipped my berry smoothie for breakfast these past two days and I have more energy for my work. Now to get busy. (What killed the Paleo people was their harsh living conditions, not their diet.)
Barb
It’s good you can handle a diet like Paleo. For me it’s way too restrictive. I am 100% gluten free and dairy free, but there’s no way I’m giving up beans or all grains. They’re staples in my diet and give me the energy I need to sustain my day and my creative practices. That’s why I love bioindividuality! One person’s food is another’s poison. Good luck with your new diet!
Whoops! It Starts with Food is the name of the book.